


Aunty Eddie

by SuperFriends (Hokum)



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Mini!Geckos, Ray Gecko Deserved What He Got, Richie likes to chew stuff, Seth just wants to know where Aunties come from, Uncle Eddie is the best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-19 00:56:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11302413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hokum/pseuds/SuperFriends
Summary: During his down time from fighting aliens, a four year old Seth has some very serious questions for Uncle Eddie about where Aunties come from.





	Aunty Eddie

“UNCLE EDDIE! UNCLE EDDIE THE ALIENS HAVE FOUND US!! WE HAVE TO SHOOT THEM!!”

 

Eddie pinches the bridge of his nose and tries to fight off the headache he’s had coming ever since he agreed to let his four year old nephew, play Space Invaders in the living room. At the time, he hadn't realised that that meant Seth would be running up and down like a whirlwind, and yelling “ALIENS!” at full volume. He’d only popped over to see if Ray and the boys wanted to come fishing with him next weekend; some fresh air would do the kids good. Ray had grunted at humanoid then asked him to watch the boys whilst he popped to the store for some cigarettes. Now, here he was, two hours later with no sign of Ray and he couldn't very well just up and leave the a four year old and a baby all alone. Eddie doesn't mind watching the kids but he’d at least like to be asked first, rather than Ray just up and leaving without a moments notice. 

 

“EDDIE!!! LOOK AT ME!!!” Seth yells as he starts running around, his arms stuck out like an aeroplane, “I’M A SPACE SHIP!”

 

“That’s great kid,” Eddie says distractedly whilst he fiddles with the TV to try and find the horse racing channel, “Looking real good.”

 

Seth had been running around like a lunatic all afternoon; Eddie probably should have taken them outside, but then that would mean he would miss seeing if his punt on Dash of Clash was any good. Finally he finds the right channel and sets himself down on the couch, wishing he had an ice cold beer in his hand, as Richie stares up at him sadly from his spot on the rug.

 

“You wanna sit up here with me Richie?” Eddie asks as he pats the spot next to him, but Richie just crawls off after Seth. 

 

Sighing, Eddie settles into the pre-race show; he could potentially win five grand if his tip was any good.The baby has been grizzling all morning and nothing that Eddie has done so far seems to do any good. With one eye on the TV and the other on his miniature charges, Eddie makes himself comfy and checks his betting slip one last time. Dash of Clash isn't racing until late afternoon, which is handy because the baby has just decided to start getting fussy again. Richie isn't really crying; more like a low level whimper and Eddie can’t for the life of him figure out whats wrong. He’d crawled after the car Seth was playing with for a bit, but now he was just sitting on the rug whimpering to himself. Then Richie starts to cry, not a loud bawling like he’d hurt himself, but a sort of distressed little wail that somehow seems much worse.  

 

“What’s wrong little buddy?” Eddie coos at Richie as he picks him up; it can’t be that he misses Ray, thats for darn sure. 

 

“Barg ugt,” Richie babbles at him, but Eddie has no idea what that is supposed to mean, “Barg ugt.”

 

His little face is screwed up in frustration as he burbles away at Eddie; clearly annoyed that Eddie doesn't understand what he wants. Eddie tries rocking him gently, bouncing him, singing a little song, none of which seems to work, and, thankfully, he doesn't need his diaper changed either. Seth has wandered over to them by now, alerted by his brothers distress as the sound of crying intensifies. 

 

“Barg ugt!” Richie babbles again, only this time its directed at Seth, “BARG UGT!!”

 

Eddie is about to ask Seth if he knows what that means, when Seth’s stomach lets out a loud rumble. 

 

“Have you two had anything to eat today?” he asks the little boy, who just shrugs and looks at the floor as his stomach rumbles loudly again.

 

“Is that’s what wrong Richie?” he asks the fussy baby in his arms, “You hungry little buddy?”

 

“Buh,” Richie says, his little face no longer screwed up in frustration as he somehow seems to understand what Eddie is saying. 

 

Ten minutes later, Seth is munching happily on some toast whist Eddie feds Richie a bottle of formula. In fact, he sucks it down so fast that Eddie worries he’s going to spit it all back up again. A warm bottle seems to the trick though, and Richie barely makes a sound as he drinks his fill; blinking slowly as he starts to fall asleep.  

 

“Looks like someone’s sleepy,” Eddie remarks quietly as Richie lets out a huge yawn; his little eyes slipping shut. If he can get Richie down for a nap, then at least he's only got to keep his eye on the four year old. 

 

Seth drops the pice of toast in his hand and looks over at Eddie and his little brother, his face a picture of annoyance. 

 

“But I want to play with him!” Seth wines dramatically as he almost throws himself off the couch, “He’s not even sleepy!”

 

Eddie glances down at the baby, who has completely fallen asleep by now, and sticks his pacifier in his mouth.

 

“Sorry Seth,” he says quietly, as he carries Richie back to his crib, Seth trailing along after him, “You can play with him after he’s had a nap.”

 

“But we’re supposed to play space pirates!” Seth sulks as he watches through the bars as Eddie lays the sleeping baby down, “I made a ship for us!”

 

He points over to the corner, where’s there’s a crudely constructed space craft made out of bits of assorted lego. Eddie was going to have to buy the kids some more, because Seth space ship isn't going anywhere with only half a functioning wing. Richie makes a fussy noise again and Eddie strokes his hair until he settles back down again, tucking the blanket around him. 

 

“Come on,” he whispers to Seth, as he shoos him along and out of the tiny bedroom, “Out you go.”

 

“It’s not fair,” Seth grumbles dramatically, as Eddie tugs him along by his hand and pulls the door closed, “He would have stayed awake if you’d let me tell him about the space ship!”

 

“Seth, I know you want to play with him,” Eddie reasons as he sits back down in front of the TV, “But Richie’s still a baby and babies need sleep. He’ll be big enough soon and then you can play with him all the time.”

 

“I guess,” Seth mutters, scuffing his foot into the carpet and sighing dramatically as Eddie tries to find the horse racing channel again, “But I wish he was big now.”

 

 

Half an hour later and Seth is bored. Eddie is watching the dumb horse racing and Richie is sleeping because he’s a baby, and that’s all babies ever seem to do. If Richie had _known_ about the space craft that Seth had built, there’s no way he would have gone to sleep; Seth can tell. Now he’s stuck trying to play cars by himself whist Eddie yells at the TV every so often. He doesn't mind Eddie yelling though; it’s not loud and mean like when Pop yells at him. It’s been _ages_ so surely Richie must be awake by now, maybe Seth should go check? Uncle Eddie is too distracted by the TV to notice Seth sneak swiftly off back to his bedroom. The room is silent when he pokes his head around the door, and Seth is disappointed to find that Richie is still sleeping soundly. 

 

 

“YES!!” Eddie yells from the couch and Seth slips quietly into the room; closing the door behind him.

 

Wandering over to the small crib, he peers in just to make sure Richie is actually asleep; his nose pressed up agains the bars. Richie is laying on his back, his little chest rising and falling as he slumbers peacefully on and shows no sign of waking up any time soon. 

 

 

“Wake up,” he whispers, but Richie just carries on sleeping. His pacifier has fallen out and rolled down the side of the crib, so Seth pushes to closer to his head. 

 

Seth pokes him lightly in the leg, but his brother still doesn't move and Seth slumps dejectedly back down on the floor. He’d been waiting all day to play with Richie and now he has to wait even longer. It was pretty cool having a little brother, and Seth has a vague memory of visiting a pink blob in a big white room when his mom was still around. He’d been very disappointed at first because his new brother wasn’t exactly what he’d been expecting. Nobody had explained to him that his little brother wouldn't automatically be able to play with him, or even lift his own head up, for months and Seth had grown bored of waiting. He’d aired these grievances to Uncle Eddie and suggested that maybe they should get a new baby; one that could already walk and talk. 

 

“Don’t you worry,” Eddie had said as they’d watched Richie try and roll over by himself on the rug, “He’ll catch up soon enough. He might even be bigger than you one day.” 

 

Seth highly doubted that, as Richie was small enough to fit in the old toy box he had; Seth had put him in there to check. However, it quickly became apparent that Richie was far from boring, he seemed to do new things every day and Seth had found that kind of cool. Before Richie could crawl, Seth had had to resort to carrying him everywhere so that they could play together. Uncle Eddie always told him to be careful, but Seth was good at carrying Richie and had so far only dropped him twice. Then he’d spent an agonising two weeks waiting for Richie to finally start crawling, and had ended up taking drastic measures to encourage his brother to move. 

 

“Look Richie,” he had said, as he laid out a trail of Sour Worms and plonked Richie down in front of them, “Yummy!”

 

It had worked; it had taken a few tries but Richie successfully crawled all the way towards Seth, eating each Sour Worm as he went. Granted, he had sicked up a load of pink stuff later on, but Seth had covered that up with some toilet paper. Richie might only be a baby, and unable to talk or do anything other than crawl around on the floor, but Seth loves playing with him. Most of the time they play Space Invaders and Seth is the captain of a doomed ship about to be invaded by aliens; whilst Richie is his non verbal co-pilot. Uncle Eddie had even made them a space rocket out of two old cardboard boxes, but in the end they had to throw it away because Richie kept chewing on it. Seth hadn't wanted to put his space ship in the trash, but Eddie had said that if Richie ate any more cardboard, he’d turn into a box and Seth had cried because he didn't want a box for a brother. In the end, Uncle Eddie had built them a fort out of blankets which was actually pretty cool; Richie couldn't eat that. Now they were knights defending a castle from an invading army and Seth had found an old torch so they could sleep in the fort at night. Even if Richie did decide to try and eat the blankets, he’s only got two teeth at the moment and wouldn’t get very far. Seth knows this because when he had stuck his finger in his brothers mouth to check; Richie had bitten him.

 

“ _Richie_ ,” he whispers, as he kneels up and looks through the bars again, “ _Richie wake up!”_

 

Nothing; not even a twitch. Grumbling to himself, Seth sits back down on the floor beside the crib and thinks about all the play time they're waisting. They have to be extra quiet when their Pa is around, as he doesn't like it when his “Two Little Shits” start making noise. Seth had learnt not to be too loud when his dad was trying to sleep, but Richie hasn't been here as long as he had and sometimes he forgot that he wasn't supposed to cry. That was until one night, when Richie’s new teeth were hurting him, and Pop had burst into their bedroom, violently shaking Richie’s crib and screaming at him to shut up. Richie hadn't made any noise after that and Seth had had to wait until he was sure that Pa was asleep, before he had gotten Richie out of his crib and cuddled him; his little body trembling. 

 

“I still love you,” he had said quietly, as he had stroked Richie’s soft hair and his brother had clung onto him in the darkness.

 

After that Richie had learnt fast and he didn't even cry when his new tooth was coming through, all though Seth knew that it was hurting him. Mostly it was just the two of them and Seth likes it like that; except when Uncle Eddie comes to look after them. It’s kind of boring when Richie has to take naps all the time though, and Seth would much rather he stay awake so they could play. However, the best part about Richie, the absolute _best_ bit, is that he always seems to like Seth. Richie will give him a big smile in the morning when he wakes up and will crawl excitedly after Seth whenever they play together; he’ll even cry if Seth goes to far away from him. He always makes sure that he doesn't run too fast so that Richie can keep up and he always gets rewarded with a laugh or a smile. Richie is the best little brother, Seth thinks happily to himself, just as something tugs on his hair. Looking up, he see’s a little hand sticking through the bars of the crib. 

 

“Richie!” Seth squeals excitedly as he scrambles up to his feet, “You’re awake!”

 

 

Beaming, Seth looks in and finds Richie sitting up in his crib; rubbing his big blue eyes with that back of his hand. As soon as he see’s his brother, he gives Seth a big gummy smile and claps his hands excitedly.

 

“Rah rha gurglb,” Richie babbles and Seth is certain that that means “Release me from this prison.”

 

Seth had learnt how to unlatch the side of the crib months ago, nobody ever seems to come when Richie wakes up crying. That’s a secret though and he’d told Richie not to tell, but Richie still can’t talk and had just dribbled in agreement at him. Most nights he’ll wait until the house is silent, and then pick Richie up out of his crib so he can sleep next to him. Being a baby, Richie doesn't take up much room, and Seth quite likes having his little body snuggled against him. He has to push a little stool up to reach in, but Richie stretches his arms up towards him and Seth manages to pick him up; only almost toppling over once. 

 

“Now we can play space rangers!” Seth tells his brother excitedly as he puts him down on the floor, “I made a space ship Richie!”

 

“Rarg warl,” Richie says, which Seth has worked out means thank you, and he starts to crawl towards Seth.

 

Five minutes later, Seth is showing Richie how their space ship works and what their mission is going to be; they're fighting aliens. Richie seems very onboard with this and gurgles in agreement when Seth explains that he will be the look out, whist Seth shoots the aliens. They have lots of fun, even if Richie does keep crawling away from his look out post, but after a while Seth has to take a break from defending them from all the aliens. 

 

“We can play again in a minute,” Seth pants as he flops down on the floor, “Then we can complete our mission.”

 

“Nurf larb,” Richie says in agreement as he crawls over to Seth and tries to sit on him.

 

“You’re right Richie,” Seth tells him, as he shifts over to make room for his brother, “We should still keep a look out for the aliens.”

 

There’s a small plastic ball under his bed that Eddie got them, so Seth fishes it out and starts bouncing it; he can throw it at the aliens if they get too close. He’s going to ask Uncle Eddie for some more lego so he can make a proper weapon, like a gun or space blaster. As usual, it’s no fun playing by himself so he gently rolls the ball towards Richie, but Richie seems extra fussy today, and he keeps trying to talk. Seth has so far managed to work out most of what Richie’s babbling means, but today he’s trying to say something new and Seth is unsure what it means. 

 

“Lafrg murg,” Richie grumbles again as he crawls all over Seth and starts trying to climb on him.

 

At first, Seth had thought that Richie wanted to sit in his lap, but Richie had wriggled and squirmed and refused to stay put. Instead, he kept trying to pull himself up by using Seth’s shoulder as a sort of climbing frame. 

 

“Lafrg murg,” Richie wines in frustration as he tries to make Seth understand what he wants, “Lafrg murg!”

 

Hmmmm, Seth is going to have to think about this one; “Murg” or “Mur” is what Richie sometimes uses for when he wants to be picked up, but Seth had tried that all ready. “Lafrg” is new though, so Seth sits and stares at Richie, trying to use his special space mind reading powers like Spock, but it doesn't work; Richie just drools at him. 

 

“I wish you could talk,” Seth says sadly as Richie speaks gibberish at him again.

 

Maybe Richie wants a story, but Seth can’t read and all the books they have are ones that Uncle Eddie has to read to them. Pa doesn't buy them toys or books or much of anything really; even the box of Lego they have has come from Eddie. Seth always makes sure to take extra special care of his toys, and he tries to limit the amount of baby drool Richie gets on them. He could still show Richie the pictures in the books though, but when he gets up, Richie starts to cry and grab onto him. Seth can feel himself almost start to cry because he doesn't like it when Richie cries, or when he doesn't know what his little brother wants. He goes to pick Richie up so he can cuddle him, but Richie still seems intent on trying to use Seth as a climbing frame. Hmmmmmm; maybe Seth can help after all. 

 

Grunting slightly, Richie is kind of heavy for something so small, Seth hauls him up underneath his arms and holds Richie up until he straightens his legs out; his feet planted firmly on the floor. Seth knows better than to let go right away, so he takes hold of Richie’s tiny hands and stands a little way away from him. Then he watches, fascinated, as Richie takes two very wobbly unaided steps and promptly falls over.

 

“RICHIE!” Seth exclaims excitedly, as Richie tries to pull himself up again, “YOU CAN WALK!”

 

“Lafrg murg!” Richie giggles, as he tries to stand up again, but only succeeds in toppling over into Seth’s lap.

 

Yes! This is so cool; now Seth can have a co-captain that can walk! He’s waited ages for Richie to finally be able to move faster than crawling speed. Now they can play properly in the back yard together and Seth can teach Richie all the running games he’s made up; like how to dodge aliens or run real fast in a circle until you get super dizzy.  

 

“Lets show Uncle Eddie!” Seth suggests as Richie goes back to chewing on his own fingers, “Come on Richie!”

 

“Buh,” Richie babbles which Seth knows means “yes”. 

 

Scampering off ahead, Seth leaves Richie to crawl along behind him, only to hear a little wail when he gets too far away. Turning around, he finds Richie sat in the doorway of their bedroom, his little face scrunched up with sadness. Richie is kind of heavy for a baby but Seth just about manages to pick him; although he does slip dangerously loose from Seth’s arms a few times. 

 

 

“Come on Dash of Clash! Get those legs going girl!” Eddie yells at the TV, leaping to his feet in anticipation, “COME ON!! YEEEESSSSS!!!!”

 

Dash of Clash cleared the finish line just millimetres ahead of the second horse; netting Eddie a cool five grand. Not bad for day sat on the couch watching the kids, in fact he hadn't heard a peep out of either of them since he put Richie down for his nap.  

 

“Seth?” Eddie calls; he could have sworn that he was playing on the rug a moment ago. 

 

Granted, Eddie had been a little more invested in the horse racing, rather than what his oldest nephew was up to. He’s almost about to go and see where the little munchkin had gone when he hears a loud shuffling sound coming from the hallway. Seth has got hold of the baby; his small arms clamped around Richie’s waist as he half carries, half drags his little brother over to Eddie. 

 

“Look,” Seth says, as he sits Richie down on the rug in front of Eddie and points at him.

 

For one heart stopping moment, Eddie thinks that there’s something wrong with the baby, but Richie seems happy enough; in fact he’s smiling up at Eddie. 

 

“What am I supposed to be looking at,” he asks, giving Seth a very pointed look, “Other then the fact that you woke him up from his nap?”

 

He had _told_ Seth specifically not to wake his brother up, but he should have known better than to expect Seth to be able to accomplish that. Now that he finally has a playmate, Seth is desperate to play with Richie of every hour of every day; Eddie has tried to explain that Richie is still too little for some of the games that Seth wanted to play. 

 

“He was already awake!” Seth says defensively as he points at his brother again, “He did it a minute ago.”

 

“Did what?” Eddie asks, as Richie crawls around on the floor like he usually does.

 

“This!” Seth pouts, as he picks Richie up again, and tries to make him stand, but Richie just folds his legs underneath him and sits back down. 

 

“I’m still not getting it kiddo,” Eddie says as Seth looks extremely disappointed whilst Richie babbles away to himself and crawls off.

 

“He did it!” Seth whines exasperatedly, “He did it earlier after he woke up!”

 

Eddie still isn't sure what on earth he’s supposed to be looking at and Seth drifts over to the coach; his bottom lip stuck out in a ridiculous pout. It’s probably some little kid game that Seth has made up and Richie, only being nine months old, isn't able to follow. He’s about to tell Seth to knock it off with the sulking, when Richie crawls his way over to them and starts grabbing hold of the front of his brothers shirt; pulling himself up until he’s finally standing on two feet. Seth is yelling with excitement and demanding that Eddie watch, as Richie totters unsteadily. Eddie waits with baited breath as Richie takes a very wobbly step forward, then another one, until he stumbles into Eddie’s outstretched arms. 

 

“Hey!” Eddie beams as he scoops Richie up and throws him gently in the air, catching him instantly, “Look whose a big boy now!”

 

Richie laughs loudly as Eddie sets him back down in his lap, ruffling his thick hair and tells him how proud he is of him. 

 

“Rarg warl,” Richie says as he starts chewing on Eddie’s shirt sleeve, leaving a big patch of dribble. 

 

“That means thank you,” Seth informs Eddie, as he comes over to tickle Richie’s feet and earning himself a stream of giggles from the baby. 

 

“Huh, Eddie says, as he removes his sleeve from Richie’s mouth, “Well, your welcome little buddy. You kids fancy some pizza?”

 

Ray is clearly not coming back, so Eddie decides the very least he can do is treat the kids. At the mere mention of the word pizza, Seth gets completely over excited and starts running around in circles yelling “PIZZA!” at the top of his lungs; whilst Richie is more content to chew on his own toes. 

 

“Pizza it is then,” Eddie agrees and he sets Richie down on the floor, heading over to the phone hanging on the wall.

 

He can hear Seth whispering quietly to Richie, telling him what a clever little brother he is, and that now that he can walk, he can fight the aliens properly. Eddie chuckles to himself because the way that Seth speaks to Richie, like he might actually talk back, always makes him laugh. However, even though the baby can’t actually talk yet, he’s damn sure listening to everything thats going on around him. Eddie would bet good money that it won’t be long before Richie starts talking _and_ walking; then Eddie really is going to be in trouble.  

 

Forty five minutes later, a steaming hot pizza and couple of scoops of ice cream have been delivered. Eddie always makes the boys sit at the table whenever they stay at his, but Ray doesn't have a highchair and Seth would probably have trouble seeing over the table, so he lets them eat on the couch as a special treat. The couch is old and threadbare and nobody is going to notice a couple of pizza stains amongst all the whisky stains. Eddie cuts up a few tiny squares for Richie, who he sits right at the back so he doesn't fall off, and lets Seth pick his own slice.

 

“Uncle Eddie,” Seth asks after a few mouthfuls of pizza, “How did the horsies win you money?”

 

Oh dear; explaining gambling techniques to a four year old is not what Eddie had had in mind for  appropriate dinner conversation. Seth is waiting for an answer though and Eddie knows well enough by now that the little boy won’t let this drop until he has an answer.

 

“Well,” he begins, swallowing his own mouthful of pizza, as Seth kicks his legs back and forth on the edge of the couch, “First you have to pick a horse, that the important bit, and then you have figure out how much money your willing to spend on it.”

 

“Do you get to keep the horse?” Seth asks excitedly, his eyes lighting up, “Can Richie and I come and play with it? We could play cowboys!” 

 

“No, you’re not buying it,” Eddie tries to explain, “Your just guessing which one will run the fastest and -”

 

“I’m good at guessing,” Seth buts in before Eddie can get to the finesses it takes to pick the right horse to back, “I guessed which planet Richie was on when we played space rangers.”

 

“Well, that makes you a better guesser then me,” Eddie says seriously as Seth beams with pride, “Next time I play the races, I’m gonna come to _you_ for tips.”

 

“Can Richie help?” Seth asks hopefully as he licks cheese off the top of his pizza slice, “He’s good at guessing too.” 

 

Richie seems a lot happier now he’s got a full tummy and has had a good nap; he starts burbling away to them both when he hears the sound of his name. However, he’s more interested in squeezing the gloopy cheese together in his hand and laughing, rather than actually eating it.

 

“Sure,” Eddie says as he smiles at Seth, “Maybe I’ll take you two to the racetrack next time.”

 

It’s probably not the most appropriate environment for two little kids, but Eddie had spent half his life down at the dog park with his old man; it never did him any harm. Besides, Seth is already looking excited at the prospect of being taken somewhere other than some seedy bar by Ray. By the time he’s finished explaining the finer details of gambling to Seth, Eddie turns around to find the baby is covered in tomato sauce, cheese and soggy bits of bread.

 

“Richie looks like pizza,” Seth snickers whilst Richie start to giggle and smooches even more cheese into his hair. 

 

Sighing heavily, Eddie picks Richie up and carries him over to the sink, pulling off his stained baby grow and giving him a quick wash. He sends Seth off to find Richie something clean to wear; it’s nearing the kids bedtime anyway. 

 

“This is his favourite,” Seth tells him, when he returns with a tiny baby romper that’s covered with cartoon dogs and hands it over. 

 

It takes him a little while to get the suit on, he did all the poppers up incorrectly, but Richie seems happy enough now he’s not covered in bits of pizza. 

 

“Shall we see if there’s a film on?” Eddie asks him as he scoops the baby up, “What do you think little buddy?”

 

“Buh,” Richie gurgles as his little hand reaches up up to pat Eddies face, “Buh ralg.”

 

Seth, on the other hand, has been relatively silent for the past few minutes and Eddie isn't sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing; he’s never known his nephew to be this quiet. He’s probably thinking up more gambling questions to ask or if Eddie can take them to the Kentucky Derby next time it’s on. 

 

“Eddie,” Seth asks as they head back over to the TV, Richie balanced on Eddie’s hip, “Why isn't there an Aunty Eddie?”

 

“What?” Eddie questions, as he sets Richie down on the rung and switches the channel to an old Burt Reynolds film, “What do you mean “Aunty Eddie”?”

 

“The lady version of you,” Seth informs him, as he clambers up on the couch to sit next to him, “Why isn't there an Aunty Eddie?”

 

Huh; this hadn't been what he was expecting at all but Seth’s eyes are bright with curiosity and Eddie finds himself scrambling to think of something.

 

“Seth, an Aunty isn’t named after the man; they're called Aunt Jane or Aunt Rita,” Eddie eventually explains as best he can, “Besides; I’d have to be married for you to have an Aunt.”

 

Seth screws up his face; evidently thinking this over and Eddie can’t but help suppress a smile as he watches his nephew. The little kid conversations he has with Seth are often amusing, like the time he’d tried to explain where babies cam from when Richie was about to be born, and Eddie always tries make sure he understands. Richie has crawled over to them now; intent on being included in the conversation even though his vocabulary is limited to one word syllables and lots of drooling. 

 

“Well, why don't you have a wife?” Seth asks eventually, his eyes wide like a little owls, “Everyone else does.”

 

Seth is beginning to sound more and more like his old Ma, who had berated him until her last dying breath about not giving her any grandchildren. 

 

“Not _everyone_ has a wife Seth,” Eddie tells him as Richie tries to get up on the couch, “Some people just don’t want to get married.”

 

“Well, maybe you should get one,” Seth says brightly,as he reaches down and pulls Richie up next to him, “Like at the place people go to get dogs.”

 

Eddie lets out a loud snort of laughter; Seth better hope that no self respecting lady ever hears him say that. 

 

“Warf!” Richie yells, his little face lighting up at the mention of the word dog, “Warf! Warf!”

 

“Thats not really how it works kiddo.” Eddie tells him as he tickets Richie underneath his chin, “You can’t just go and buy an Aunty at the store.”

 

“Why?” Seth asks and Eddie is already cursing whoever taught him that word.

 

“Because you just can’t,” Eddie says; aware that this is a terrible answer and Seth looks as if he’s already thinking hard about his next question. 

 

“What does an Aunty do though?” he asks eventually, his curiosity peaked, “Can they do magic like you can?” 

 

Having never had an Aunty, Seth isn't entirely sure what an Aunt is even supposed to do, but Mathew, the boy two doors over, lives with his uncle _and_ aunty; maybe Seth and Richie could do that to?

 

“Well, I suppose an Aunty is like a mommy but cooler,” Eddie explains as best he can, “An Aunty will let you do all the things you mommy won’t let you do. Like eat cookies for breakfast or play in the dirt.” 

 

Hmmmm, Seth is liking the sound of an Aunty even more now; although he and Richie didn't have a mom to tell them not to eat cookies or play in the dirt anymore. He doesn't really get it, that his mom was here one minute and now she’s not. Pa shouts at him whenever he asks about her, so mainly Seth just keeps his mouth shut and pretends he never had a mom. Richie is climbing on him again and Seth helps him to stand up; it makes him sad that Richie won’t even remember what their mom looks like. All though, Eddie is like their dad but better so maybe if they had an aunty as well, she could be like their mom? Seth would quite like to live with Uncle Eddie and he had discussed this at length with Richie, when he’d snuck him out of his crib, and even though he couldn't talk, his little brother was in full agreement with him.

 

“I think you should get an Aunty,” Seth says solemnly as Richie falls over and lands in his lap; he’s not hurt, but Seth strokes his head anyway, “We could help you look for one.”

 

Seth’s not entirely sure where Aunty's come from, or where you would go to find one, but it can’t be that difficult can it? They got Richie from the hospital so maybe they could start there? Or that big bird thing, the one that Eddie had told him had brought Richie, might bring Aunties as well? There’s also the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny _and_ Santa Claus to consider; surely _one_ of them might be of some use?

 

“I don’t really think…” Eddie trails off as Seth looks up at him expectantly. How do you explain to a four year old and a baby that you’re not exactly in the market for a wife? Eddie likes a quick, uncomplicated hook up every now and then; he’s never been all that interested in having a wife. Somehow he doesn't think Seth is going to buy this, or even really understand that Eddie is just looking for some no-strings-attached fun. Even Richie is looking at him now, his big blue eyes staring at Eddie; almost like he understands every word they’re saying.

 

“Gurg,” Richie gurgles as he sits down in his brothers lap and Seth nods at him, wrapping his arms around Richie’s waist and hugging him close.

 

“ _See_ ,” he says happily, “Richie agrees with me. It could be our Christmas present.”

 

Shit; this isn't exactly going the way Eddie had hoped and he doesn't want to upset the kids. Lord knows they could do with a female presences in their lives now that their mom had skipped town. He tries again to explain it to Seth, so he’s not disappointed, that having an Aunt isn’t really what Eddie is looking for.

 

“Besides, it takes a special type of lady to be an Aunty-”

 

“That means we won’t get on then,” Seth cuts in quietly, looking downcast as Richie makes a noise of agreement 

 

Eddie hadn't meant it like that; he'd meant that no self respecting woman would ever want to marry him. But Seth is four and probably sees all these other happy little families and wonders why he and Richie got jack shit. He loved Ray but there was only so many excuse he could make when it came to the way he treated his kids. 

 

“If you had an Aunty, you’d have to have kids too, so you’d probably forget all about us,” Seth says sadly as he hugs Richie closer to him, “Everyone else does.”

 

“Muph,” Richie gurgles quietly as he pats his brothers hand and leans into his chest. 

 

Eddie looks at them both sadly and thinks what a shame it is, that they ended up stuck with two parents that couldn't even be bothered to raise them. Gathering them both up, he sets them down in his lap and holds onto them tightly.

 

“Hey,” he says as he tilts Seth’s chin up to look at him, “I’d never forget about you. Either of you.”

 

“Promise,” Seth asks, still looking miserable and forlorn. 

 

“I promise,” Eddie tells him as he ruffles Seth’s hair, “Hey, how about I be Uncle _and_ Aunty Eddie? I’ll let you eat cookies and play in the dirt all you want, that sound good?”

 

Seth’s little face lights up like a christmas tree and he’s almost bouncing up with excitement, whilst Richie claps his hands excitedly.

 

“So that means we get both an Aunty _and_ an Uncle?” Seth clarifies as he starts to fizz with excitement.

 

“Sure, but now Aunty Eddie is telling you thats it’s time for bed,” Eddie informs him as he nudges Seth off his lap, “So go get your PJs Captain Seth, whilst I take care of your brother.”

 

Seth runs off to his room at top speed yelling “AUNTY EDDIE” as he goes; skidding on the rug as he gets to his bedroom.

 

“I’m going to regret letting you two call me Aunty Eddie, aren't I?” he asks Richie as he picks the baby up.

 

“Buh,” Richie yawns as he lays his head on Aunty Eddie’s shoulder; clearly almost learning to walk has tried him out. 

 

He makes Richie up another bottle whilst Seth is getting his PJ’s on, but the baby has only taken a few mouthfuls before he’s sound asleep in Eddie’s arms. Definitely time for bed, Eddie thinks, as he carries the sleeping little boy back to his crib. Seth is already dressed and waiting patiently in his bed when Eddie gets there.

 

“Can Richie sleep in my bed tonight?” Seth asks hopefully, “I won’t roll over and squash him, promise!”

 

Eddie isn’t stupid; he knows that as soon as he leaves the room, Seth will take Richie out of his crib and tuck him in beside him. However, he’d rather not have to deal with a crying baby just because Seth accidentally wakes him up, so he allows it this one time.

 

“Sure,” Eddie says as he lays the sleeping baby down next to Seth and tucks him in, “Like two peas in a pod. What do I always tell you?”

 

“Two Geckos are always better than one,” Seth replies, stifling a yawn as he snuggles into Richie, “Night Aunty Eddie.”

 

“Night Kiddo,” Eddie says as he retreats back to the living room as quietly as he can, “See you in the morning.”

 

Seth smiles sleepily at him; his eyes already sliding shut before Eddie even has a chance to turn the light off.

 

Aunty Eddie doesn't sound all that bad, Eddie thinks to himself, as he switches off the light and shuts the door quietly; not when it makes the little Gecko Brothers happy. 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Mini!Geckos are my favourite, along with Uncle Eddie (RIP!). Hope you all enjoyed this little piece.


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